Donkey Kong is a video game franchise created by Shigeru Miyamoto and published by Nintendo. Games in the franchise have been developed by a variety of developers including Nintendo, Rare, Paon and Retro Studios. While the first games were arcade releases, most Donkey Kong games have been released for Nintendo consoles and handhelds since the third generation.
It debuted in 1981 with the arcade game Donkey Kong, which was a sales success that brought Nintendo into the North American market.[1] With the original arcade games being ported into versions on third-party home consoles and developed by several companies. The Donkey Kong franchise has sold a total of 82 million copies as of 2022.
Most of the games in the franchise are platform games, although the series also includes spin-offs other genres such as racing and rhythm games. The franchise is centered on the anthropomorphic gorilla Donkey Kong and his clan of other apes and monkeys. Many of the Donkey Kong games use supporting characters throughout gameplay, allowing the player to control different members of the family.[1] The success of the series is commonly attributed to its technical innovation and entertaining platforming sequences.[1]
Title | Details |
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Original release date(s):[2] |
Release years by system: 1981 – Arcade, Atari 2600[2][3] 1982 – Intellivision, ColecoVision, Tabletop miniarcade[1][4][5][6] |
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Original release date(s):[1][20] |
Release years by system: 1982 – Arcade[1][20] 1983 – Famicom, Intellivision, Atari 2600, ColecoVision, Tabletop miniarcade[6][21][22][23] |
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Original release date(s):[1]
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Release years by system: 1983 – Arcade[1] 1984 – Famicom[1] |
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Donkey Kong: Jungle Fever Original release date(s):[34]
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Release years by system: 2005 – Arcade[34] |
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Donkey Kong: Banana Kingdom Original release date(s):
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Release years by system: 2006 – Arcade |
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Title | Details |
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Original release date(s):[35] |
Release years by system: 1983 – Nintendo Entertainment System[35] 2001 – GameCube (within Animal Crossing) |
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Original release date(s):[37] |
Release years by system: 1994 – Super Nintendo Entertainment System[37] 2000 – Game Boy Color[38] |
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Original release date(s):[41] |
Release years by system: 1995 – Super Nintendo Entertainment System[41] |
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Original release date(s):[44] |
Release years by system: 1996 – Super Nintendo Entertainment System[44] |
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Original release date(s):[47] |
Release years by system: 1997 – Nintendo 64[47] 2007 – Nintendo DS[48] |
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Original release date(s):[49] |
Release years by system: 1999 – Nintendo 64[49] |
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Original release date(s):[51] |
Release years by system: 2004 – GameCube[51] |
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Original release date(s):[53] |
Release years by system: 2004 – GameCube[51] |
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Original release date(s):[55] |
Release years by system: 2004 – GameCube[55] |
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Original release date(s):[58]
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Release years by system: 2005 – GameCube[58] |
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Original release date(s):[60] |
Release years by system: 2007 – Wii[60] |
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Original release date(s):[62] |
Release years by system: 2010 – Wii[62] 2013 – Nintendo 3DS[62] |
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Original release date(s): |
Release years by system: 2014 – Wii U 2018 – Nintendo Switch |
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Title | Details |
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Original release date(s):[64]
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Release years by system: 1982 – Game & Watch[65] 1998 – Game Boy Color[66] |
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Original release date(s):[64]
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Release years by system: 1982 – Game & Watch[65] 1998 – Game Boy Color[66] |
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Original release date(s):
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Release years by system: 1982 – Game & Watch[65] |
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Original release date(s):[68]
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Release years by system: 1984 – Game & Watch |
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Original release date(s):
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Release years by system: 1984 – Game & Watch[65] 2002 – Game Boy Advance[70] |
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Original release date(s):[68]
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Release years by system: 1984 – Game & Watch |
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Original release date(s):[72] |
Release years by system: 1994 – Game Boy[72] 2011 – Nintendo 3DS[73] |
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Original release date(s):[74]
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Release years by system: 1994 – Nelsonic Game Watch[74] |
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Original release date(s):[75] |
Release years by system: 1995 – Game Boy[75] |
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Original release date(s):[76] |
Release years by system: 1996 – Game Boy[76] |
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Original release date(s):[77] |
Release years by system: 1997 – Game Boy[77] |
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Original release date(s):[78] |
Release years by system: 2005 – Game Boy Advance[78] |
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Original release date(s):[80] |
Release years by system: 2007 – Nintendo DS[80] |
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Title | Details |
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Original release date(s):[82] |
Release years by system: 2004 – Game Boy Advance[82] |
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Original release date(s):[84] |
Release years by system: 2006 – Nintendo DS[84] |
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Original release date(s):[86] |
Release years by system: 2009 – DSiWare[86] |
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Original release date(s):[88] |
Release years by system: 2010 – Nintendo DS[88] |
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Original release date(s): |
Release years by system: 2013 – Nintendo 3DS eShop |
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Original release date(s):[89] |
Release years by system: 2015 – Nintendo 3DS eShop[89] and Wii U eShop[90] |
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Original release date(s): |
Release years by system: 2016 – Nintendo 3DS eShop and Wii U eShop |
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Title | Details |
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Untitled game Cancellation date: 1984 |
Proposed system release: Arcade |
Notes:
Sega obtained the license to develop a Donkey Kong game, but it was canceled after Sega's David Rosen and Hayao Nakayama arranged a management buyout from Gulf and Western Industries in 1984.[91][92] The game featured a playable Donkey Kong as a parking attendant who had to avoid and guide parking cars.[91] | |
Return of Donkey Kong Cancellation date: c. 1987 |
Proposed system release: Nintendo Entertainment System |
Notes:
Return of Donkey Kong was advertised in the 1987 Official Nintendo Player's Guide, but was never released,[93] and the advertisement remains the only evidence of its existence.[94] It mentioned that Donkey Kong would have been the playable character.[93] | |
Untitled game Cancellation date: 1993 |
Proposed system release: CD-i |
Notes:
A CD-i Donkey Kong game was developed by Riedel Software Productions between 1992 and 1993.[94] It was part of a deal that granted Philips the license to use Nintendo characters in CD-i games, which resulted in Hotel Mario (1993) and three The Legend of Zelda games (1993–1994). The Donkey Kong game was canceled.[94] | |
Diddy Kong Pilot Cancellation date: Released as Banjo-Pilot in 2005 |
Proposed system release: Game Boy Advance |
Notes:
Diddy Kong Pilot was a Rare-developed kart racing game that was intended as a handheld sequel to Diddy Kong Racing.[95] It was scheduled to be released on March 4, 2002,[96] but remained unreleased when Microsoft acquired Rare in September 2002.[97] Diddy Kong Pilot was reworked to remove Donkey Kong elements after the acquisition and released as Banjo-Pilot in 2005.[95] | |
Donkey Kong Racing Cancellation date:[99] August 2002[98] |
Proposed system release: GameCube[99] |
Notes:
Donkey Kong Racing was developed by Rare as a console sequel to Diddy Kong Racing.[99] It was a racing game in which players rode on animals rather than vehicles.[100] Following the Microsoft acquisition, Rare attempted to rework Donkey Kong Racing as a Sabreman game for the Xbox and Xbox 360 before canceling it entirely.[100][101] | |
Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers Cancellation date: Released as It's Mr. Pants in 2004 |
Proposed system release: Game Boy Advance |
Notes:
Donkey Kong Coconut Crackers was a Rare-developed puzzle video game that featured the ability to switch between top-down 2D graphics and a 3D isometric layout.[102] It was scheduled to be released on December 7, 2001,[103] but after the Microsoft acquisition, Rare reworked Coconut Crackers to remove Donkey Kong elements and released it as It's Mr. Pants in 2004.[102] | |
Freedom Cancellation date: 2016 |
Proposed system release: Nintendo Switch |
Notes:
A Donkey Kong game, codenamed Freedom, was co-developed by Nintendo and Vicarious Visions for six months. It was a 3D platformer that emphasized traversal, with grinding on vines as a core mechanic. The game was canceled in 2016 after Activision Blizzard, Vicarious Visions' parent company, redirected its developers' focus to the Call of Duty franchise.[104] |
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